'Scream' Renewed for Shortened Third Season at MTV — With New Showrunners

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The pickup comes days before the cabler will air a special Halloween installment.

MTV's Scream is gearing up for a return — but it's likely to look a lot different.

The Viacom-owned cable network has renewed the horror reboot for a shortened third season and with new showrunners, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.

Season three will consist of six episodes. That's half of the sophomore run and down from 10 in its freshman order. The news comes as the Dimension TV drama is poised to add a two-hour Halloween special on Oct. 18 to its season two order. It's unclear if season three will be the drama's last.

The new showrunners will take over for frequent collaborators Michael Gans and Richard Register (Make It or Break It, Celebrity Deathmatch) who oversaw the second season. The duo took over for season one showrunners Jill Blotevogel and Jaime Paglia, who stepped down.

Additional details about season three will be announced at a later date, including casting and the show's central location as the Halloween special moves the show's setting. Also unclear is if the series, after speculation at the start of season one and two, will morph into an anthology.

Never a ratings breakout — season two was down considerably from its freshman order — Scream boasts a proven brand name and following given the success of the breakout feature film franchise from Kevin Williamson, who is not involved in the MTV incarnation. Exec producers on the series include Harvey and Bob Weinstein, the late Wes Craven, Tony DiSanto, Liz Gateley, Marianne Maddalena and Cathy Konrad. Matthew Signer and Keith Levine serve as producers.

Scream is part of an MTV drama roster that includes the upcoming final season of Teen Wolf and The Shannara Chronicles.